Moving is a stressful time, and it takes a lot of preparation and hard work. Here are some checklists to make your move go as smoothly as possible.
What should I do 8 weeks before moving day?
- Take photos of moving-related quotes, receipts, and documents and store them in a Google Drive or Dropbox account
- Start a physical file for moving-related printed receipts and bills
- Create a moving budget
- Schedule three in-home estimates with moving companies
- Plan how to move fragile or unusual items
- Confirm your moving company is licensed and insured
- Request time off work for moving day
- Request transcripts for your kids from their school
- Choose a new school for your kids
- Have a yard sale and donate anything that doesn’t sell
What should I do 6 weeks before moving day?
- Collect free boxes from restaurants, grocery stores, etc.
- Label your boxes with different coloured stickers/tape/markers for each room
- Pack a little every day
- Use socks, t-shirts, towels, and linens as packing supplies
- Create an inventory sheet of your valuables and a private list of which boxes they are in
- Mark moving boxes that are fragile
- Take photos of all electronics before unplugging them to jog your memory later
- Put screws, etc., in labelled baggies for furniture reassembly
- Measure doorways, stairways, and elevators to make sure all your furniture will fit
- If you’re moving into an apartment, find out if there are any moving day requirements
- Have your vehicles serviced if you’re moving cross country
- If you are shipping your car, don’t leave anything in it
What should I do 4 weeks before moving day?
- Use up or donate items that you won’t pack
- Buy moving insurance
- Confirm parking arrangements for the moving truck
- Gather financial, legal, and medical records together
- Gather birth certificates and passports to keep with you on moving day
- Contact your homeowners or renters insurance company
- Make sure your pets have collar ID tags
- Request copies of vet records and get any necessary pet medication
- Update your voter registration
- Schedule installation for cable and internet at your new address
- If you’re moving to a new town, find a new doctor, dentist, and vet
- If you’re moving long-distance, plan your route and book hotels
What should I do 2 weeks before moving day?
- Prepare meals for the next two weeks and use up frozen foods
- Fill any prescriptions and transfer prescriptions to a new pharmacy
- Research a list of service technicians for your new home location
- Back up important computer files on removable disks
- Take out light bulbs from lamps
- Remove items from your bank’s safe deposit box
- Cancel gym memberships
- Arrange for a babysitter or playdate to keep little children safe on moving day
- Arrange for pet care on moving day
- Share your new address with your friends and family
- Update your address on your driver’s license and health cards, and with the Canada Revenue Agency, loan providers, credit cards, banks (order new checks), auto insurance and registration, and your work’s payroll department
- Update your water, electric, and natural gas accounts
- Update your address with any monthly subscriptions
- Forward your mail
- Donate or dispose of hazardous items
- Clean outdoor furniture before you move it
What should I do the week before moving day?
- Donate unopened food.
- Cancel or update scheduled deliveries
- Clean the house for the new owner
- Unplug your fridge and freezer to defrost the night before
- Drain water hoses to your washing machine and icemaker
- Empty oil and gas from grills, heaters, lawnmowers, and snow blowers
- Doublecheck shelves or closet corners for anything you missed
- If you live in an apartment, prepare for your final walkthrough with your landlord
- Pack an essentials box or suitcase for the first 24 hours in your new home
- Make a plan in case your movers run late
- Take photos of your empty house to prove it’s in move-in condition
- Clean your new home
What should I do on moving day?
- Protect your floors and carpets during the move.
- At your new home, make the beds and unpack shower curtains, toiletries, and curtains or shades
- Thank your real estate agent or broker!
